HEARTBREAKER: Case girls lose thriller to Bellingham in South final

It all came down to the play at the plate. Case right fielder Ellie Roberts fired a strike to catcher Jenna Santerre, who caught the ball well before Bellingham runner Megan Cook reached home plate, but the Blackhawks' runner was called safe and the run held up as top-seeded Bellingham escaped with a 1-0 softball victory over the Cardinals in Monday's Division 2 South final.

Case right fielder Ellie Roberts fired a strike to catcher Jenna Santerre, who caught the ball well before Bellingham runner Megan Cook reached home plate, but the Blackhawks’ runner was called safe and the run held up as top-seeded Bellingham escaped with a 1-0 softball victory over the Cardinals in Monday’s Division 2 South final.

The action came in the bottom of the fourth inning after Case pitcher Leslie Denis and Cook, the Bellingham pitcher, were dominant through three scoreless innings.

In the Hawk fourth, Cook laced a one-out double to center before Denis struck out Chloe Woodward for the second out.

Freshman Kayse Baker then smacked a liner to right that Roberts quickly snagged on one hop and gunned home to Santerre, who had the ball before Cook slid home. After a brief hesitation by the home plate umpire, Cook was called safe and Bellingham grabbed the only run it would need.

“When she slid home, I thought he was looking for the ball,” said Case coach Don DiBiasio. “When he hesitated, I figured he was checking to see if (Santerre) still had the ball. I really don’t know what was going through his mind at that time. She was called safe and it’s unfortunate for us.”

Cook, who no-hit Dighton-Rehoboth in a 5-0 South semifinal win Sunday afternoon, ran into some first-inning trouble when Ally DiCesare opened with a single and Santerre, attempting a sacrifice, reached on a throwing error to first base after putting down the bunt.

Denis then hit a long fly ball to center that allowed DiCesare to tag to third before Maddie Carpenter lined out to left field for the second out.

Kelsey Pacheco hit a grounder to shortstop and was called out on a bang-bang play at first base.

In the Bellingham first, leadoff hitter Alice Felzmann reached via single, but was caught stealing by Santerre. Meghan Cook the singled and was erased on a fielder’s choice for the second out.

After Denis hit Rachel Kuhlman with a pitch, she got Megan Cook to pop out to third for the third out.

Case, the defending Division 3 champions who were bumped up t Division 2 this season, finished with three hits off Cook, but hit the ball hard.

“We stroked the ball well,” DiBiasio said. “We just didn’t get them in the gap.”